Xavier Thames dropped in 3s from deep, finessed floaters in the lane and carried San Diego State the way he did all season as the Mountain West player of the year.
Thames would not let North Dakota State become this year's version of Florida Gulf Coast by sending the Aztecs home in the third round of the NCAA tournament.
Thames scored 30 points, and fourth-seeded San Diego State reached the round of 16 for the second time in school history, ending the run of No. 12 seed North Dakota State 63-44 on Saturday.
The Aztecs (31-4) now get to make the short drive up the interstate to Anaheim, Calif., where they will face either No. 1 seed Arizona or eighth-seeded Gonzaga in the West Regional semifinals on Thursday.
Thames, who was 9 of 19 from the field, had five assists and ended the comeback hopes of the Bison with a six-point spurt late in the second half that pushed the Aztecs' lead to 12. He finished one shy of his career-high in points.
Michigan beats Texas 79-65 to advance to Sweet 16
Nik Stauskas and Michigan figured out the best way to overcome Texas' advantage inside.
One sweet shooting performance.
Stauskas made four of Michigan's 14 3-pointers, and the Wolverines beat the Longhorns 79-65 on Saturday to advance to the NCAA tournament's Sweet 16 for the second straight year.
''Huge win for us,'' coach John Beilein said. ''These guys believe and they did a great job.''
Stauskas had 17 points and matched a career high with eight assists as Michigan (27-8) moved on to next week's Midwest Regional semifinals in Indianapolis. The second-seeded Wolverines will face the winner of Sunday's Mercer-Tennessee game.
Michigan lost to Louisville in the national championship game a year ago. But the Wolverines are rolling again, thanks to strong outside shooting and Jordan Morgan's work inside.
''What I do like about this team is they've never lost two in a row. They've been resilient,'' Beilein said. ''They get better in both victory and defeat.''
Isiah Taylor scored 22 points for the seventh-seeded Longhorns on 8-for-22 shooting. Texas (24-11) outrebounded Michigan 41-30, including 21 on the offensive glass, but the Longhorns got off to a slow start and never recovered.
Defending champ Louisville returning to Sweet 16
It's not always pretty with Louisville. And sometimes, it's ugly by design.
The defending national champions shrugged off poor shooting, 19 turnovers and a subpar performance by star Russ Smith and still won handily Saturday to get back to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament for the third straight year.
''Everything's not going to be sweet or pretty,'' Smith said after a 66-51 victory over Saint Louis. ''We're just getting the job done.''
Luke Hancock scored 21 points and the battled-tested Cardinals (31-5) won with defense.
Saint Louis (27-7) missed all 15 of their 3-point shots and turned the ball over 18 times in losing in the third round for the third consecutive year.
''These guys have had a lot of wins under their belt, a lot of great tournament experiences,'' said coach Rick Pitino, who huddled with the Cardinals after watching Florida wear down Pittsburgh in Orlando earlier in the day.
''I said, 'Guys, that's the exact game you're going to be in,''' Pitino said. '''And you're going to have to be the prettiest team in an ugly game because that's the way it's going to be. ... We grinded out a win, and that's what the NCAA tournament is all about.''
The fourth-seeded Cardinals, who are looking for a third straight trip to the Final Four, move on the Midwest Regional semifinals in Indianapolis against either No. 1 seed Wichita State or Kentucky.
No. 1 Florida tops Pitt 61-45, makes Sweet 16
Scottie Wilbekin sat on the bench for the final minute, holding a bag of ice against his left knee.
It was about the only time he wasn't giving Pittsburgh huge problems on both ends of the court.
Wilbekin scored 21 points, including 11 of the team's 13 during a 7-minute stretch in the second half, and top-seeded Florida handled the Panthers 61-45 in the NCAA tournament Saturday. The Gators' 28th consecutive win put them in the Sweet 16 for the fourth consecutive year.
The latest victory followed a lackluster and head-scratching performance in the team's NCAA opener against Albany two days earlier.
The Gators vowed to play with more energy and intensity, and Wilbekin spearheaded the effort.
''We just wanted to come out and not let them play harder than us or not play as hard as we can,'' Wilbekin said. ''I think we did a good job of having our energy up at the start of the game, and we played together on offense and played together on defense.''
Wilbekin took over in the second half, scoring eight consecutive points at one point. Patric Young wasn't too shabby, either, finishing with seven points and eight rebounds. Will Yeguete added eight points - all in the paint.
Michael Frazier II chipped in 10 points for the Gators. Frazier was just 2-of-9 shooting from 3-point range. Had Florida not been cold from behind the arc, the game would have been essentially over much sooner than it was. The Gators finished 5 of 20 from 3-point range, with at least five of those rimming in and out.
Florida will face either fourth-seeded UCLA or 12th-seeded Stephen F. Austin on Thursday in the South Regional in Memphis, Tenn. The Bruins and Lumberjacks play Sunday in San Diego.
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